Welcome to the Mr. Local History Project
“A 501c3 Non-Profit Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting Jersey History with a Social Twist”
The Mr. Local History Project is about bringing New Jersey’s past into the present through the stories of real places, real people, and real communities. Focused especially on New Jersey history, the project celebrates local history in a way that feels personal, engaging, and relevant, not something locked away in textbooks, but history that lives where we live. As we head into 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States, Mr. Local History is turning history into a shared experience. With a social twist, this is about connecting online and in the community, sharing memories, spotlighting hometown stories, and honoring New Jersey’s outsized role in America’s founding. It is history you can explore, share, and be part of together.
Today in America’s History (We Update Every Day)
- 1686: Albany, New York is formally chartered as a municipality by Governor Thomas Dongan.
- 1796: Surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company name an area in Ohio "Cleveland" after Gen. Moses Cleaveland, the superintendent of the surveying party.
- 1797: Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Battle between Spanish and British naval forces during the French Revolutionary Wars. During the Battle, Rear-Admiral Nelson is wounded in the arm and the arm had to be partially amputated.
- 1933: Aviator Wiley Post returns to Floyd Bennett Field in New York City, completing the first solo flight around the world in seven days, 18 hours and 49 minutes.
- 1937: New Deal: The United States Senate votes down President Franklin D. Roosevelt's proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court of the United States.
- 1942: The United States government begins compulsory civilian gasoline rationing due to the wartime demands.
- 1992: Near Medellín, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar escapes from his luxury prison fearing extradition to the United States.
What Can You Do Today to Celebrate America’s 250th?
Our Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week
Latest Posts
MLH Development History Series
Views: 24 Every neighborhood, subdivision, shopping center, office park, and apartment complex has a story long before the first shovel ever touched the ground. The Development History Series explores how today’s communities came to be, tracing the land from its…
History of Housing Developments in Bernards Township
Views: 13,914 Bernards Township has a long history of being a sleepy rural town. Then, the US built the Lyons VA, and everything changed as the population grew. Then AT&T came to town in the 1970s, and everything AGAIN started…
Bernardsville’s Affordable Housing Dilemma – They’re Not Alone
Views: 138 While we at the Mr. Local History Project prefer to write about history and not try to make it, sometimes history and perspective from other areas serve as indicators of what not to do, or at least give…
Meandering Basking Ridge’s Largest Lake – The Millington Quarry
Views: 758 PREVIEW RELEASE TO OUR LOCAL FOLLOWERS:Share a memory in the comments section at the end of the post. The Millington Quarry property in the Millington section of Bernards Township is one of the largest former industrial sites in…
1717 John Harrison Purchases What Becomes Basking Ridge
Views: 158 For the first time ever, our readers can see and read the original 1717 deed in which John Harrison purchased the land that later became Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Researchers at the Mr. Local History Project are so…
Five Landowners That Owned Half of Somerset County, New Jersey
Views: 764 Maps are such a great source of history, and this 1766 map doesn’t disappoint those looking to learn more about Somerset County, New Jersey’s history. Completed in 1766 by surveyors Benjamin Morgan and Joseph Hills, the Morgan–Hills Map…
1766 Somerset County, New Jersey Map Tells So Many Stories
Views: 284 The 1766 Morgan–Hills Map of Somerset County Unlike most eighteenth-century maps that depict only towns and transportation routes, the Morgan–Hills map provides a remarkable snapshot of the county’s agricultural landscape by assigning numbered tracts to individual owners in…
Speaker Series: Sacking General Lee in Basking Ridge….But What if
Views: 820 What would have happened if General Charles Lee WASN’T captured in Basking Ridge?Join the Mr. Local History Project as we break down the history with this interesting conversation. America250 Update: Presentation – Sacking General Lee in Basking Ridge –…
Free Declaration of Independence & Constitution Booklet for Supporting MLH
Views: 218 Yes, it’s true, to celebrate America 250, we have a great gift for you from our friends and the New Jersey State Bar Foundation. Simply order anything from our fundraising gift shop or make a donation, then ask…
Hackensack’s Historic White Manna Burger Diner is MOVING – And Going BIG
Views: 385 Big News in the Jersey Burger World! Hackensack’s historic White Manna is going for it and made the decision to relocate one of New Jersey’s most iconic burger joints, lifting it up and moving it up the road,…
America250 History Debunked: Separating Myth from Fact
Views: 645 In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, we’ve been on the road, attending many great speeches and presentations on our country’s history. But one speaker gave an interesting twist, asking the audience about some commonly stated facts that have…
MLH Loves To See The Public Engaged….. The Latest Comments
Thank you for this research. I grew up in The Hills on the Bedminster side, in an affordable unit (that…
Hi: Abraham Southard the son of Thomas and Annica Southard had no record of having been married. He left a…
What was the name of the restaurant that was destroyed by Sandy which was across the street from Keyport Fishery?
Yes, not sure how it got confused so we’ve updated the piece. How did you remember?
The Mount Prospect School shown in the picture was built in approximately 1998, not 1968. It was indeed named after…
Laird & Company in Colt’s Neck is considered America’s oldest distillery, renowned for producing Applejack and apple brandy. William Laird…
We used to walk to joralemons after school. We would get our root beer popsicles. My dad used to send…
We are a historical organization. If you wish to talk with them, contact them directly. Thank you.
Following up to previously sent e-mail to ensure I did it properly. Please respond at your earliest convenience if you…
Our Summer 2026 Magazine is HERE!
Full of great local Jersey History to keep you on the edge of your history seat.
Special Edition – America’s 250th The SEMI-QUIN-CENTENNIAL is HERE!
See our special digital magazine. Full of great local Jersey History.
Preservation NJ named the site of the former Lord Stirling School as one of the state’s most endangered due to…